Who doesn’t want to have convenient kitchenware or appliances? A microwave oven is one such appliance that is all about easy, convenient cooking. With a good microwave, you can do so many things with ease like reheat your food, cook a healthy meal, make popcorn or your home theater or even defrost your chicken, so many things with just one smart appliance and to find the most suitable one for your kitchen and home its necessary to read the Best Microwave Buying guide.
Don’t worry!!| I have done the research for you, my blog here talks about the best microwave buying guide that considers the most suitable Microwave on the basis of the types of microwaves, capacity, few brands with specific added features and their pro and cons.
For sure Microwave has made cooking easier for everyone on this planet as it rapidly heats a portion of food, grill, bake and can also cook a variety of dishes in lesser time. There are so many different Microwaves available online with varied versions, types, configurations. A grill Microwave cannot be used for baking. Did you know this? A lot of people didn’t know like me, So, to understand how to buy the perfect Microwave, read below the Microwave buying guide and review:
Types of Microwaves
There are three different types of Microwave available in the market and selection of a microwave oven depending on its type is a very crucial decision to make. Read the Types
1. Solo or Countertop Microwave
A solo microwave is the classic standard one that is suitable for a small family of two or three members. It uses a single Magnetron that produces microwaves and is used for simple cooking and mostly reheating food. You cant bake or grill in a solo microwave.and that is why they are cheaper than other types like convection or grill. A countertop also comes with grill or grill + convection.
2. Grill Microwave
A Grill Microwave is designed for roasting, toasting, and grilling. A perfect tandoori can be done in this one. This one has a rotisserie accessory that comes along with some microwave ovens, and few have heating coils which are highly useful for grilling anything. You can’t bake a cake in a grill microwave.
3. Convection Microwave
This one is the most expensive, but it comes with all the added features. A convection microwave can do everything that a simple, OTG can also do. It has a fan which circulates heatwaves efficiently, so the food is uniformly cooked in more lesser time. It is used for heating, grilling and also baking, so its a 3 in 1 device. If you are pizza or cake lover, its a must-have in your kitchen.
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How to choose a Microwave Oven
1. Types of Designs
Microwave Oven comes in various style and designs which you can choose depending upon your kitchen style. All Microwaves are not meant for every location. If your kitchen is smaller, its always better to have a built-in Microwave, not a countertop one. Also, it’s recommended to put microwaves on better height to efficiently operate the settings. Here are various Microwave designs to help you choose better.
Counter Top – Putting a microwave on a counter is the most straightforward location. A table or countertop Microwave stand on its own and is better for those who don’t want to make any changes in their kitchen or are living in a rented home. It is also an excellent option for someone who has no space in the kitchen and wants to put it on a separate table, stool, etc. The good part about this Microwave is that you get a lot of inexpensive Microwave options which are also high in quality. That can sit on a counter.
Built-In – A built-in Microwave is considered as the most popular location these days. The only headache is that it can only be achieved by a renovating or designing a new kitchen keeping in that space. A built-in microwave oven is always a more elegant option that makes your kitchen look organized and less crowded.
Under the counter – This type of design is most suitable for big microwaves, a high-end one will fit perfectly here. These microwaves are installed with counter drawers, also called Microwave drawers, which is a new trend right now. This location has an advantage over the countertop microwaves because they don’t occupy space in your kitchen and are easily accessible. These are installed inside a drawer below the counters and can only be done by a professional.
Types of Features to consider while buying a Microwave
Some of the most common features that are widely refereed while buying a Microwave oven are mentioned below, which you can refer to while purchasing a Microwave online.
1.Capacity and Family members
All Microwaves come in different sizes that can be purchased as per the capacity of your family. For a smaller family of 2 to 3 members, a Microwave of 15 to 20 liters capacity is enough, for a medium-sized family with 4 to 5 members a capacity of 20 to 25 liters is enough but for a larger family, at least a microwave with a capacity of 28 liters and above will be ideal. Also, the larger the oven, more will be the power consumption.
2.Size of the machine
It’s not just about the capacity but the size of a Microwave that matters also. Microwaves that take up a lot of space in your kitchen and if you have bought a big sized microwave that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will have a big space inside. If you are looking for a microwave that can fit certain sized plates or containers, make sure to examine the cubic space of the Microwave as it takes up a lot of space in your kitchen, but that doesn’t mean that the inside cubic space is excellent for your plate size. Make sure to examine the height, width also the cubic space inside the Microwave that can fit all your utensils.
3.Built material
Always choose a quality brand that manufactures a Microwave with a sturdy build material. Its always recommended checking the parts thoroughly if the product you are buying is a solid material or just another shiny plastic.
4. Preset cooking menus
This Feature helps a user in simplifying the food preparations of different recipes. The oven automatically set the cooking time required to cook that dish along with the power it needs, and you have to select the type of dish you wish to prepare.
5. Child Lock
It is a critical safety feature to keep in mind, A child lock will automatically lock the oven door, and a child will not be able to open the oven in midway hence avoiding accidents from high heat. Choose the Microwave with this child lock if you have kids at home.
6. Rotisserie
This grilling accessory is a must-have for all Non vegetarian food lover. The Rotisserie feature comes in a few microwave oven, especially the grill ones that roast or barbecues the meat, poultry veggies or even paneer perfectly.
7. Defrost
A defrost feature allows you to unfreeze the food quickly. An excellent option for defrosting meat, chicken which can be done by just using the auto defrost button. This feature can be manually set up too that allows you to set time as per the food item and weight. The best part is that you can start using frozen food straight out of the oven that has the same taste and flavors.
8. Preheat
This feature is essential for a grill + convection oven where you wish to bake something. All baked recipes require a preheat option.
9.Timer
An automatic timer feature allows you to do some other chores or relax while the food is getting prepared in the Microwave. This button can be manually set too, depending on the type of recipe and weight of the food. The timer shuts off automatically once the time is over that was placed in the beginning.
10.Budget
A budget-friendly microwave option is available, but these are mostly less in capacity and could be just solo or grill. A convention type is always higher priced.
11. Panel types
Always choose a microwave as per their types of control panels as a right panel makes it a user-friendly microwave. A good control panel can make it easy to use your microwave oven. There are three types of control panels in a microwave:
Mechanical knobs – It is easy to use and have a longer life.
Feather Touch Panel – It is mostly for the high-end microwaves that have a touch screen, stylish design, and are easy to clean.
Tactile Buttons are primarily found in rough low priced models as they are for rugged use. They are the jog wheel types that are easy to set timer and temperature.
Safety tips to keep in mind while operating a Microwave
- Don’t operate a microwave when its empty.
- Use only microwave safe Dinnerware and cookware
- Always use oven gloves while taking out the dishes as it tends to be too hot.
- Do not allow kids to operate a microwave.
- Always clean the Microwave from inside and out after use
- Don’t use metallic utensils with metallic edges.
With this extensive Buying Guide of Microwaves, you have a fair idea now of what kind of microwaves you get these days. You have now realized that there will be a lot of aspects to look into while buying the best Microwave for your home.
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